Scratching My Skin Off: Why Do People Like Costa Rica?

5:45 AM
Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
Cabinas Guarana
This could be limited sleep speaking, but so far, Costa Rica isn’t my favorite country. Despite all the cool critters and animals we’ve seen so far, I can’t imagine ever being here for very long. The prices are basically the same as in the US, it’s hot and muggy for sleeping, I feel like my body is one giant mosquito bite, and every morning I’m woken up before 6AM either by a motorcycle, a dog, a person talking loudly/listening to music, or a large bird. Even wearing ear plugs doesn’t seem to help that much.
I usually am able to go back to sleep for an hour or so, but this morning’s conglomeration was a dog fight, a cat fight (saw the two cats later), several roosters starting at about 4AM, a mosquito buzzing outside the net covering our bed, and a child who lives with the person who manages the hotel yelling “Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama.” Maybe we’re not staying in the right places, but it’s not like we’re in the cheapest places either. Maybe we just haven’t found the right places for us. Costa Rica generally seems like a decent place to visit to see interesting and unique things, but so far I’m pretty confused as to why so many people move down here from the states and rave about how cool Costa Rica is.

Being in Puerto Viejo for a very limited time, so far I’ve been offered, by name, “Ganja”, crack, marijuana, and cocaine. (Maybe that’s the appeal of Puerto Viejo for some people?) It’s not like these items are being sold in stands on the street, but they’re absolutely smoking marijuana openly on the street, and yelling across the street to ask if we’d like to buy some. I get the distinct impression I wouldn’t need to go far to get it – like maybe it’s under the table instead of on display. It’s not a big deal for me (being offered drugs), but I have yet to walk around town here in Puerto Viejo (which is a total of like 15 blocks) without either being offered a taxi or drugs.
Puerto Viejo is a touristy surf town on the Caribbean (I’m surprised how much Jamaican influence there is here) so perhaps so far we have just been in the wrong places to really appreciate what Costa Rica has to offer. In fairness, we’ve really only seen 3 cities here in Costa Rica – San Jose, Bataan (and the jungle), and now Puerto Viejo.
I’m looking forward to our sloth/cocoa/waterfall tour today. It seems to have been a bit on the pricey side at $60/person, but maybe being more of a tourist for a day will show me the appeal of a country where seemingly no matter how much bug spray I wear, I end up feeling like I want to scratch my skin off.

Related posts:

1. Limon, Costa Rica
2. Cabinas Casa Verde and Breakfast: Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
3. Leaving Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica for Bocas Del Toro, Panama
4. Crazy Costa Rica: Ruminations on Costa Rica
5. 24 Hours In Costa Rica: Most Common Questions